Luis Enrique challenges PSG to match Real Madrid's Champions League threepeat record as he insists there is 'no reason to stop'

The 56-year-old Spanish tactician has openly set his sights on Les Parisiens matching Real's record of three consecutive Champions League titles, a feat accomplished when Los Blancos defeated Liverpool in the 2018 final. Since taking the helm at the Parc des Princes in July 2023, he has delivered back-to-back European crowns alongside three Ligue 1 trophies for the French heavyweights. The reigning champions got their title defence underway last month with an emphatic 6-1 demolition of Slovan Bratislava.

Achieving domestic and European supremacy over the past two seasons has done nothing to blunt Enrique's ambition, even as his side prepare for a gruelling schedule against Manchester City and his former club, Barcelona, whom he guided to Champions League glory in 2015.

Detailing his squad's extra motivation to emulate Real's rare feat, the Spanish coach told the club's official website: "We've won it [Champions League] twice in a row, but that's no reason to stop. We're built to play in the Champions League. We have an extra incentive: to try and achieve something that only Real Madrid has managed to do so far. It's a special goal."

Discussing the fierce competition posed by fellow title contenders, he added: "These [Man City and Barcelona] are two teams that love winning the Champions League, who have already won it and who are among the favourites. There are six, seven or eight teams capable of winning this Champions League. We're one of them, but it'll be tough and we're not the clear favourites."

In total, Enrique has guided PSG to 13 major honours and recently penned a three-year contract extension that keeps him tied to the French capital until 2030. Reflecting on the winning mentality he instilled upon arriving at the club, he stated: "That was our primary objective when we arrived here: to make history. Everyone knew the club had already won major trophies, but there was no trophy more important to us than the Champions League. For me, as a manager, just as for the players, the desire to win constantly is an essential characteristic of the very highest level."

Addressing the heightened expectations surrounding his new deal, the manager insisted: "I've extended my contract and now I'm under even more pressure to show that I'm ready to carry on and that I still want to win many more trophies for Paris Saint-Germain. It's always the same objective: to win and keep on winning."

Les Parisiens' fierce resolve will face an immediate test as they travel to face City in the Champions League on Wednesday. Following that daunting English assignment, Enrique's men are scheduled to host Catalan giants Barcelona in Paris on 20 October. This back-to-back testing run against fellow favourites will serve as a crucial yardstick for the holders as they look to maintain their supremacy in Europe's elite club competition.